


Accidental Matchmaker

by LaLainaJ



Series: Make Some Noise [120]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Cats, F/M, Meet-Cute, Neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-07 23:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11068980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaLainaJ/pseuds/LaLainaJ
Summary: Klaus has yet to meet his neighbors when one of their pets begins to make itself at home on his balcony. Once he does meet Caroline Forbes he finds he no longer minds the invasion.





	Accidental Matchmaker

**Accidental Matchmaker**

**(Prompt: "** **Caroline and Klaus are neighbors. Her cat keeps bothering him and leaving "surprises"." Rated K+)**

When Klaus goes to water the plants on his balcony he's surprised by how good they look. It's the first time he's paid them any mind since he'd moved in and Bekah showed up with them as a housewarming gift. He dips a finger in to test the soil and is distracted by a metallic glint peeking out from under an azalea bloom. Puzzled, Klaus unearths a half buried bottle cap, digging a little deeper to find a second.

It can't have fallen, not embedded as it was, and he stoops to get a closer look.

Only to find a small treasure trove of shiny objects.

Bottle caps, bits of a bright blue plastic bag. An earring, three quarters, and the top of a tin of lip gloss.

All of which, save maybe the coins, he's certain don't belong to him.

He glances around, wondering if he's perhaps managed to anger a neighbour and they're taking some sort of useless petty revenge by attempting to sabotage his flowers. He's not met anyone really, keeps odd hours, but perhaps that's led to noise? But urely someone would ask him politely to keep it down instead of resorting to this?

Or maybe he was overestimating the average human's ability to be mature. He had plenty of reasons (and a stellar example in Kol) to believe that some people took longer than others to accept certain adult realities.

Annoyed, Klaus picks the detritus out of his planters, planning on tossing it all in the bin once he's back inside. The earring catches his eye and he holds it up, studying it thoughtfully. It didn't look cheap, or like the sort of thing that one would toss away randomly.

He pockets it, just in case he was mistaken about how it had made its way to his balcony. Maybe that one was an honest mistake.

* * *

"Since when do you have a cat?"

He's in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher (Bekah's never quite cottoned on to the fact that, as a guest, she should offer to help with the washing up when she shows up for dinner unannounced) when her question, loaded with a healthy amount of disgust, floats over to him.

"I don't," he calls back shortly. He's always preferred dogs.

"Then what is that orange thing doing digging around in your flowers? It looks like it has fleas."

Klaus rolls his eyes, finishing up before joining Rebekah in the living room. She's sipping her wine, staring out the glass doors with distaste. Sure enough, a cat is perched on his railing, pawing at the dirt right where Klaus had found the first bottle cap. Rebekah's exaggerating slightly, the cat's not very large, but slightly plump and wears a blue collar, clearly indicating it's cared for.

"Must belong to one of my neighbors."

"Rude," Rebekah sniffs. "You should call your building manager and complain. What if you were allergic?"

"I'll wait and see if it's a problem, sister dear. I'd rather not have to deal with tedious politics."

That sends Rebekah off on a rant, and Klaus half listens to her complain about the musician who moved in across the hall from her, some bloke named Enzo who apparently took great amusement in needling Rebekah every time they shared a lift.

He makes a mental note to check the planter later, just to see if the cat was the culprit behind the things he'd found.

* * *

When he remembers to check he finds another earring, an entirely different one than the first. That one had been gold, dangly with tiny blue stones at the end. This one is black, round and edged in silver. He knows enough about jewellery to recognize that the posts are sturdy, well made, confirming his initial suspicions. Someone will likely miss them.

Klaus rolls it absently as he considers his options, is startled by a soft thump next to him. He turns, finds the cat in question blinking up at him. "Hello," Klaus says, immediately wincing and glad that he's alone. He reaches out a cautious hand, is surprised when the cat immediately bumps his fingers with its head.

Odd. He'd always heard that cats weren't the friendly sort. The cat walks closer, tail twitching, its eyes on the earring Klaus holds. It makes a noise, paw reaching out, when Klaus holds it farther away. He gives its head an absent scratch, fingers reaching for the collar. The cat doesn't seem to mind and Klaus finds a tag easily.

There's an address, two apartments over, and Klaus hesitantly reaches out for the cat, relaxing when it seems to have no issue being picked up. It even begins to purr slightly, settling into his arms comfortably.

He figures he might as well take the little kleptomaniac home. Finally meet the neighbors.

The pretty blonde who opens the door is a welcome surprise and Klaus spares a glance down, glad to see his shirt is decent if unfortunately coated in orange fur. Her blue eyes widen, taking Klaus in before dropping to the cat with a look of dread. "Oh no, what did Cheddar do now?"

"Cheddar?" Klaus finds himself asking, lips curling in amusement.

She looks a touch embarrassed as she takes the cat, "Little me had cats named Oreo and Marshmallow. The theme just kinda stuck. Did he sneak into your place? The couple in 3A sneak him Doritos and he takes that as an invite to just waltz into people's homes now. I'm trying to convince him he wants to be an indoor cat but he's stubborn."

"He's remarkably friendly," Klaus notes.

She sighs, "Yeah, he pretty much flopped right onto my lap and made himself at home when I went to the shelter. I couldn't say no."

Klaus silently admires the cat's technique. "Don't worry, he's not guilty of breaking and entering. Merely some minor trespassing. A spot of vandalism but my flowers seem no worse for wear."

Her brows furrow in confusion and Klaus elaborates. "He's been using my balcony to store his hoard." Klaus fishes the earrings out of his pocket, holding them out in an open palm.

She groans, "Bad Cheddar," she admonishes the cat, though Klaus imagines that the way she holds him close and strokes his head diminishes the effect of the scolding. The cat seems utterly unabashed, snuggling into the woman's arms and preening at the attention. "Seriously, thank you for bringing those by. I've been looking for the gold one all week."

"It's no trouble," Klaus assures her and she smiles in gratitude. He should probably take his leave but he can't resist lingering, sneaking glances at her face so he'll be able to capture the freckles that dust her nose when he sketches her later. "I'm Klaus," he offers. "I'll make sure to check for any additional deposits. Just in case he reoffends."

She shifts, holding out her hand and grasping his firmly, "Caroline. And thank you." She bites her lip, head tipped to the side as she considers him. "Do you maybe want to come in? I just made coffee and I usually like to do the whole welcome to the neighborhood thing."

"Do you?" Klaus teases, "tell me more."

"Sometimes there are cookies," she informs him, feigning seriousness as a slight smirk graces her features. "But I've been swamped at work. Would you accept some store bought scones? I really need to grocery shop properly. I'll fill you in on all the building gossip."

Klaus thinks it's an exceptionally tempting offer and doesn't hesitate to accept.

Perhaps he'd been wrong there _is_ something to be said for cats.


End file.
